1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an electrical connector, particularly a printed circuit board connector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An electrical connector for use in mounting an electronic component having two parallel rows of terminals on a support such as a printed circuit is known. Such a connector has a parallelopipedic block of insulation having two rows of cavities, each cavity containing a contact element which is introduced through an opening provided at the top of the cavity and including a leg projecting through a substantially sealed passage at the bottom of the cavity for connection with the printed circuit board.
A connector of this type is described in the French patent application 77/31029 published under No. 2,368,158. In this connector the contact element has two contact surfaces, namely a web and a strip bent towards it which has a loop substantially in the plane of the upper opening of the cavity.
The presence of this loop is an interference since, when it is presented, the male contact element which generally consists of a flexible tab, can be flattened against the loop instead of engaging correctly in a two-surface contact. When this happens, control tests indicate a connection made electrically, but this connection is imperfect and resistance to vibration cannot be assumed.
French Pat. No. Fr 70/24728, published under No. 2,097,358, has already proposed an elastic contact element pressing on the bottom of the cavity and comprising, as the active part in contact with the male contact element, the single turn of a conductive blade coiled in a flat spiral. The proposed device is difficult to manufacture and in addition it has numerous drawbacks: the elastic force of the loop is difficult to control and the contact surface on which particles of plastic accumulate rapidly becomes fouled.
It would be desirable to provide an electrical connector which avoids these drawbacks.